by supertwigs | Mar 13, 2011 | Books, Goals, Health |
I have been thinking today about positivity. Thinking and being a positive person. I spent the day feeling low. Down and void of energy. And I started to wonder how much of it was related to my post yesterday. Here I am, living in the suburbs, which I have just declared I hate. How satisfying are my days going to be if this is my attitude? Constantly looking for escape. Secretly wishing I could go and hide away in the wilderness, living in a yurt (which, albeit, would be awesome).
Instead, I think I will make the best of things. After all, that is why I started this blog. To chart my progress in accomplishing my goals. Dream big, and go for it. Maybe, today, I was coming down from the high of finishing my novel. Whatever it was, I think tomorrow I will do better. Keep that negative voice in check, and power on.
Thinking of this, I have decided to take my friend’s advice, and take the Couch to 5 K Challenge. It’s a fitness challenge that takes you from the couch to running 5 kilometres in 9 weeks. It scares me. Immensely. I have never enjoyed distance running, although I used to love sprinting. However, what scares me even more is the sedentary beast I have become these days. Being the parent of two young children, sure I am constantly moving. Hardly ever really sit. But, I hardly ever really move either. Get my heart racing. And when I do, I usually regret it. So, it’s time to put a stop to this.
I’m thinking regular exercise is going to fuel my mind and body. Energize me for what is to come. Whatever that happens to be. So, yes, I’m pretty excited. And, because I just did the unthinkable and wrote a novel in 30 days, I’m thinking I can do this, too. Now that I’ve confessed it to you. And now that I’ve set my mind to it.
Because I only have one life, and I intend to make the most of it.
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Lastly, since this blog is also about the books I read, and how they are changing me:
Not long ago, I read a fantastic book, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. If you’ve ever been interested in running, you should read it. If you haven’t already. I never had any interest in running (actually, was a professed hater of running), but after reading that book, I found myself really wanting to run. Even fantasizing about being an ultra-runner (which is nuts, but admirable, too). It has some pretty amazing stories and facts on our bodies, and what we are capable of.
by supertwigs | Mar 4, 2011 | Books, Writing |
My friend linked to this interview on facebook. I love this YA author, and thought I’d share it here.
If you haven’t read the Alice, I Think, series, you should. It is good and quirky fun.
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Interviews/Tamazon-interviews-Susan-Juby-on-Mar-02-2011.aspx
Enjoy!
by supertwigs | Mar 3, 2011 | Books, Goals, Photography, Writing |
I recently read The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. The book chronicles one woman’s attempt to increase her own happiness levels over a year. She uses a variety of research and techniques, which are all documented very nicely on her blog, happiness-project.com. Anyone interested in starting their own Happiness Project can use the tools she provides there.
I found the format of her project particularly intriguing, namely the dividing of her year into a series of what I call, mini-challenges. You may be familiar with the mini-challenge. If you have been reading my blog, you’ll know that I have engaged in one myself, writing a novel in a month (check out Nanowrimo). This was one of Gretchen’s mini-challenges. Some might call them resolutions. Others goals. But, mini-challenges are a bit different. They are small (or sometimes large), manageable (and sometimes daunting), accomplishments that people dedicate themselves to doing. They usually have a start and end date, and they usually involve some personal fulfillment or betterment.
In The Happiness Project, Rubin refers to her book as “stunt non-fiction.” A term she borrowers from a reviewer of her book. I like it. Because I like stunt non-fiction. Reading about how someone else had set themselves some fascinating goal, and then gone about accomplishing it. A.J. Jacobs comes to mind immediately, as does Eat, Pray, Love. Mini-challenges are a big part of stunt non-fiction. Whether it be the man who tried a new job every month for a year, or the one who devoted his year to volunteering, it seems everyone wants to challenge themselves.
The blogosphere is littered with mini-challenges. My own novel in a month is one. So is my participation in a weekly photo contest (MCP Action). Wordpress’s PostADay is one. More and more people are attempting a daily photo as well.
I would like to applaud the mini-challenge. It is fun. Engaging. And, I think, it works.
Here are a few of the writing mini-challenges that I have come across:
Post A Day: Self-explainatory WordPress Fun
Script Frenzy: Write a 100 page script in a month (April)
Story a Day: Write a story a day – in May
SmithMagazine’s Six-Word Memoir: Tell your story, in six words
Six Sentences: Write a story in six sentences
What’s your favourite mini-challenge? (Or maybe you hate mini-challenges. Think they are the scourge of society. I’d like to know about that, too).
I like the mini-challenge, and, as long as I’m enjoying them, I’ll keep trying new ones, as the spirit moves me. Maybe you want to join me?
by supertwigs | Feb 26, 2011 | Books, Creativity, Education, Parenting |
I don’t know when it started, but somewhere along the line I got it into my head to think about homeschooling my children. Actually, I do know when it started, although not really.
I read a book. That’s how most things seem to start for me.
I read a book. Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate’s Hold on to Your Kids. The thesis of this book is that kids are becoming too peer-oriented, and this is causing parents to lose their ability to parent their children. Basically, the thought is that kids can only have one primary attachment, whether it be parents, or friends. Hey all, realized I said this poorly. Let’s try this again. Kids’ primary attachment should be their parents, or another caring, loving adult, or adults. Ideally, this would be a larger community of both adults and children. However, if kids’ attachment to friends (or anyone else for that matter) is in conflict with that of their parents’, trouble can be brewing. Because they will have to choose. And if parents and their kids aren’t securely attached (due, largely to the structures of today’s society), kids will choose friends. And friends, as much as they might care about your children, are not a good replacement for a wise and caring parent. A parent who always has their best interests in mind. That is a very short summary, and, of course, I am missing key elements. Still, it got me thinking.
Neufeld and Mate suggest that homeschooling can be a good option, by helping to keep the parent-child attachment functioning. It’s all about relationship.
Anyways, all of this got me thinking of the real possibility of homeschooling. Would it be a good option for us? Because I have always been drawn to the concept. It just sounds like so much fun. And it seems to make so much sense.
Lately, it has seemed a bit strange to me that we send kids to school for the majority of their day, away from their families, to be raised by someone else (I know there are a million reasons why we do this, and many, many, many are valid). Still, it also seems strange that we group them in like ages, and they grow up thinking this is a normal part of life, to be with peers of their same age – exactly. To me, it seems plain weird. When you think about it. Is there any other time in a person’s life that this happens? And is it really to everyone’s benefit? Specifically, the child’s?
I don’t have the answer to those questions. Maybe you do?
Then, after reading Hold on to Your Kids, I read The Element, by Sir Ken Robinson. Another proponent of re-examining our educational system. Again, he doesn’t advocate homeschooling, per se, but suggests it could be a good option. Because it allows parents to tailor learning to a child’s distinct learning style, and strengths. More food for thought.
Finally, I happened upon unschooling. And I think I am in love.
The philosophy that governs unschooling is that kids (people in general) are naturally inclined to learn. Encouraged in this direction, and left to their own devices, they will want to discover their world. They will want to know things. They will want to learn. This educational philosophy, if I’m understanding it correctly, says that parents can best support their kids by allowing them to be guided, in large part, by their own whims and passions. Learning co-inciding with interest and ability. Unschoolers learn at their own pace, and aren’t beholden to any particular curriculum. They are above all, lifelong learners.
This is where I get chills. Good ones. For many reasons, one of which is the fact that I, too, love learning. The process of learning just about anything excites me. Another is that I am a librarian (or maybe this is why I am a librarian). Librarians are huge proponents of lifelong learning. This, I would argue, is what we are all about. And we are also great researchers.
So, my imagined unschooling life has me helping my children discover their true potential, following their passions, and learning through life experiences. An education outside the box. I imagine us discovering things together along the way. Exploring the world with eagerness and curiousity. Travelling? Reading? Researching? Experimenting? You bet.
And what better person than a research expert – an expert in lifelong learning – to provide this kind of education for my children. So, tell me, am I being idealistic? Is this to good to be true. Or is it truly an ideal way to learn. Because it kind of seems that way to me.
(My kids are currently 3 years and 9 months, so this is research for me at this point).
by supertwigs | Feb 24, 2011 | Books, Parenting |
In my other life, I am a children’s librarian. I deliver storytimes to preschoolers, and parents with babies. It can be extremely fun, and extremely exhausting. I got to thinking about storytime today, because of a friend’s facebook post. Her son, apparently, was too noisy and got kicked out today. I commiserated, on both fronts.
First, as a librarian, that pesky kid that is always bouncing around and won’t sit still to listen to my melodic voice drives me crazy! You know the kid, because if you’ve ever been to storytime you’ve all seen him. What kind of parents does he have anyways?
Second, as a parent. Because, I am the parent of said child. His name is Dylan, and sitting is not his favourite game. Jumping up and helping, he likes. Talking very loud, he likes. Listening, hmm, not so much.
I really don’t think I am a bad parent. In fact, I kind of like my kid’s enthusiasm. Scratch that, I love it. Not that I encourage anarchistic behaviour. Certainly not in storytime (it is rather embarrassing when the librarian’s kid is the one causing all the trouble). But, speaking from experience here, that is just the way some kids are at this particular point in their development (or, period). Yes, you can work with them, yes, you can try to force them to listen. Yes, they can be kicked out. But, that’s not going to make them want to come back to storytime. Or the library. And it’s probably not going to make them want to read.
So, I say, hard as it is, let them stay. Unless they want to go. In which case, consider their request. Storytime should be about discovering the love of storytelling, songs and books. Negative feelings don’t have a place there. And parents who feel shamed because of their kids behaviour, probably won’t bring them back. To storytime, or the library. Which is a huge loss. So, if we could all be a bit more forgiving and a bit more accepting, I for one, would really appreciate it.
By the way, my son loves storytime and has never been kicked out (although there have been times…). But, we have received looks. You know the ones. And I would like to say, people, keep your looks to yourself! Because your son (or daughter) doesn’t hold a candle to mine!
Okay, let’s try that again. Because we’ve all been there. Or we will be, if we haven’t yet. And, even if your child is an angel, try to revel in the villain (or the Dylan) just a little bit. Because once you get him singing along, well, that’s when he truly shines!
by supertwigs | Feb 14, 2011 | Books, Creativity, Writing |
2300 words or so today. It was a major breakthrough when I figured out what that little yellow note said. It is so much fun to watch my characters develop out of thin air. For anyone who has ever considered writing a novel, this is such a fun way to do it. I am amazed at how it is just happening. All of the things I have read about the process of writing are echoing in my mind. Especially Anne Lamott’s assertion that “plot grows out of character.” What better way to test that than scrambling together a novel plot in a month.
In other notes, I seem to be developing Blogger’s Arm. Let’s hope it doesn’t develop into a real RSI injury.
(This could also be a result of a rather unscheduled fall I took this weekend, attempting to walk to my car. I am starting to truly believe my assertion that I am a klutz. I never really wanted to, but this, well. The giant purple bruise on my knee speaks for itself).
Hi! I’m Kelly Woods, writer, mother & librarian. I write about beauty, creativity, green living and lifestyle design to help others live a life of inspiration, too.